Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme is about to get even more extreme with the 2019 Gen 2 refresh

[Redaktion]

The newer model will sport Intel Core i9-9880H and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q options with an improved 4K UHD OLED touchscreen over the 2018 model. Otherwise, the chassis will be unchanged from the original X1 Extreme that we already know and love.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Extreme-is-about-to-get-even-more-extreme-with-the-2019-Gen-2-refresh.420457.0.html

[LHPSU]

No change in chassis, even though they're making a claim for 1.07 kg?

[ED]

Those requiring powerful GPUs might also look into external Thunderbolt video cards: similar price and more power with the only limitation that they cannot be used on the move.

[tseries]

No change in chassis, even though they're making a claim for 1.07 kg?

Typo, it's starting from 1.70 kg.

[jeremy]

I wonder if they could do something a tiny bit more daring:

4C CPU --> GTX 1660Ti
6C/8C CPU --> GTX1650

Sadly, I think the additional escape routing requirements for the TU116 over the TU117 make this very unlikely.

[jeremy]

Also, I am now quite interested in the FHD HDR display. 500 nits, claimed anti-glare (implicitly 8 bit and at least ~100% sRGB). If it's also an IGZO low power display with no PWM, it could be just about perfect, IMO.

That being said, since the GPU is the smallest of the Turing lineup, would Lenovo be brave enough to only use x8 PCIe to link it? This would allow for at least one NVMe slot and TB3 to be directly attached to the CPU. The other NVMe slot, ethernet, WiFi, etc could all be hooked to the Southbridge/PCH without any real penalty at that point.

As it stands, the current X1E (gen 1) links up the GPU using all 16 of the CPU's available PCIe lanes. For gaming purposes, it's quite a waste. I am aware there are tasks which benefit from a wider CPU-GPU PCIe bus, but I find it unlikely that users of the X1E would be the target demographic for this.

[sticky]

double power + brighter screen + same battery capacity = shorter battery life

Little disappointed with no design revision to incorporate quad front-facing speakers, LTE module, and a 100 Wh battery.

[123]

Will these laptops ever receive untruncated screen or will they remain useless junk forever?

[Babak]

No newly announced ice lake CPUs? Gen 9 instead of Gen 10?

[Benjamin Herzig]

No newly announced ice lake CPUs? Gen 9 instead of Gen 10?

Ice Lake will only be available for thinner & smaller Ultrabooks. Intel is only launching the slower variants, full-performance machines with hexa core processors like the X1 Extreme or XPS 15 thus won't feature it.

[Tom O'R]

I noticed that gen 1 of this laptop seems to use single channel RAM, at least for the 16gb variant, will this be true of gen 2 i.e if I go for 32gb will it be dual channel (2 x 16gb)?

[ScepticalJoe]

I'm still disappointed that in your i7-8750H review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme you cranked out what appears to be fantasy results.

NotebookCheck
Cinebench R15: 1021
Cinebench R20: n/a

My model (identical specs, max. perf settings)
Cinebench R15 (Bios 1.15): 865
Cinebench R15 (Bios 1.21): 751 (766 repaste)
Cinebench R20 (Bios 1.21): 1699 (1734 repaste)

Paste used Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. I tried undervolting with XTU (using the same Watt settings as in the review, but even -0.130V makes the system crash randomly despite passing hours of different stress tests (XTU crashes during idle).